Stockport County booked their place at Wembley after a convincing 2-0 victory over Stevenage at Edgeley Park, sealing a 3-0 aggregate win in the League One play-off semi-final.
Having taken a 1-0 lead from the first leg, Stockport set the tone early in the return tie. Louie Barry opened the scoring in the 14th minute when Ben Osborn fed him and he finished low and hard past goalkeeper Filip Marschall to put the Hatters firmly in control.
Shortly before half-time Stockport doubled their advantage. Kyle Wootton, who has been deployed in defence in recent weeks, unleashed an effort that deflected off Stevenage centre-back Carl Piergianni and looped into the net, wrapping up the tie and leaving the hosts with a comfortable lead to protect in the second half.
The two-goal cushion proved enough for Stockport to advance; they will now prepare for the one-off play-off final at Wembley on May 24, where they will face either Bradford or Bolton. Earlier this season the club suffered just one defeat at Wembley, losing the Vertu Motors Trophy final.
Manager Dave Challinor said last season’s semi-final disappointment was a driving force behind this campaign. He admitted the previous exit “hurt” but praised his players’ reaction and resilience across the season, adding that getting the two early goals on the night helped settle his side and gave them something to protect.
Sky Sports pundit Steve Evans lauded Challinor’s impact, noting the manager inherited a club at a low point and has revitalised the squad, producing a performance that showed clear quality and progress.
Stevenage boss Alex Revell, while visibly disappointed, expressed pride in his squad’s achievements this term. He felt his team allowed Stockport to get on top in the first half and conceded two avoidable goals, but he was upbeat about using the experience as motivation to push on next season.
Stockport will head to Wembley full of confidence after a composed semi-final performance that combined early attacking intent with the composure to see the job out, while Stevenage can take heart from a strong campaign that fell just short of a final at Wembley.